The ongoing struggle in Indonesia against corporate mining
that will devastate their land
It comes at no surprise to almost anyone even remotely politically aware that corporations and their comglomerates are unconscionable when it comes to their end goal of making record profit. Time and again thay do so at the expenses of people, culture, the environment, economic stability for those not at the top of their “food chain” and anyone or anything else that may stand in their way. We have seen forests destroyed, the oceans slowly dying, rivers and lakes becoming dried up husks, more and more land turned into unusable wasteland all for the final and ultimate product: Power and wealth for the top few percent, starvation and repression for the rest of us.
One of the ways these corporations manage to ruth lessly pursue this hearthless profiteering is by moving their operations to “remote” locations. Corporations have been stripping the “third world”, i.e.: developing countries of their natural resources for 100’s of years. Indonesia is sold out from under the people by their own governments to these corporations in order to make profit.
But the local peasants and indigenous people of Indonesia are not willing to merely offer their land, livelihood and culture up for sacrifice to the CEO’s. Many recognize that to loose theire land now will mean to loose their culture and livelihood forever. The various ways mining corporations specifically have managed to manipulate, terrorize, and forcibly take land from local and indigenous people has been silenced for too long. It’s time for people the world over to know that this isn’t just about land. This is about the livelihood and culture of over 42.000 people being stolen from them. It’s about forcing them into oppressive poverty. It’s about exposing entire islands through the destruction caused by mining to serious and deadly natural disaster. All for a (extremely large) cut of a profit.
This publication is intended to expose these corrupt and illegal activities at the expense of human life for what they really are. We also wish to inform people about the ongoing struggle and passionate fight of the farmers and people who stand to lose everything…not just property but their independence and possibly their lives.
In Kulon Progo, one of the many land bases under theath currently from mega corporation mining companies, they also stand to lose the knowledge and ability of a unique farming technique developed there 30 years ago, this environmentally low-impact method of coastal farming will be alll but eradicated. All of this will be erased based on an entirely illegal claim to land using repression, intimidation and clear violation of human rights.
This is not a mere issue of farmers afraid of losing their livelihood. There are severe environmental, social, cultural, economic and political ramification. It’s time we all know exactly what is going on in the struggle of peasants and indigenous people in Indonesia against these corporate powers who would seek to crush them under the weight of their greed and industry…
In solidarity,
Unrest Collective…
(All materials printed before this pubblication reprinted with permission and approval from PPLP-KP)
Download PDF “Farm or Die”:
– Farm or Die – part1
– Farm or Die – part2
French version:
Cultiver ou mourir (Farm or Die – FRA)